upgrade from T3i suggestions

[cas1963]

Hi! I’m an advanced beginner (?-!) and recently I have been scrolling through these posts and have picked up some great info so far!

I bought a T3i bundle 2 years ago with lenses EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, and  EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS II. It’s my first DSLR and I have been using it a lot mostly for pictures in my garden and trying to be creative while on vacations and I’ve been pretty pleased with it.  I’m always trying to learn more with it and I recently felt that there was something missing in some of my photos so I started to research different lenses. Recently I got a good deal on a used EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM and I really like it so far.

I have a couple of questions:

Should I keep the 18-55mm lens? I’m not sure there’d be a market for it but it’s worth a try.

Will I be happy with the T3i using this new lens going forward or if not what would be a good upgrade for me in the future? I’m not looking to become a professional, I just want a serious hobby.

Thanks for your time.

[RobertTheFat · Accepted solution]

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@cas1963 wrote:
I’m still recovering from the purchase of the 17-55mm f/2.8!! so the 100mm macro would have to wait but I’ll look into the 50mm which is affordable.
I like to find interesting architecture or specific features in buildings that are unusual and photo worthy, garden close-ups, scenery – mountains, sunsets etc - and I’d like to be able to take better indoor shots during family gatherings. Everyone moves around so much it’s hard to capture the moment, and I’m hoping the 17-55mm f/2.8 will help. Later on I’d like to invest in a better zoom.
I see you also have a T3i, is this good enough to keep for what I like to do? and to use with different lenses in the future?

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If you like the idea of a macro, consider also the 60mm f/2.8 macro. It's also a good lens and cheaper than the 100mm (of which there used to be two models, although I'm not sure that both are still in production).

The T3i is a very good camera and should serve you well, at least for the time being. But better and better cameras keep coming out, and sooner or later the bug may bite you so hard that you can't resist.

[cas1963]

thank you!